B&O HiFi DAC Module for LG G5 May Not Come to USA After All

One of the major highlights of the LG G5 was its “modular” functionality, a feature that lets you expand and branch out the G5’s functionality towards specific interest areas. Being one of the first mainstream devices in recent time to be modular, it was bound to have limitations owing to its new nature. Such limitations manifest itself in the modules themselves…..or the lack of it, more specifically.

At launch, only two modules were shown off: the LG CAM Plus and the LG HiFi Plus, created in partnership with Bang & Olufsen. More modules were promised for the near future and the situation only looked like it could improve.

Apparently not.

As Android Authority found out, mentions of the LG HiFi Plus, also known as Bang & Olufsen’s HiFi DAC Module, are disappearing in certain regions where the HiFi module was scheduled for a launch. This anomalous behavior was noticed for USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and Korea as well. The LG G5’s official product page does not acknowledge the existence of the module, neither does the official LG Friends web page, which is really strange since the latter should have definitely sported a mention at the very least. It’s worth noting that this has been a topic of discussion at r/lgg5 before hitting mainstream news

Android Authority speculates that the reason for this may be a delay in procuring requisite FCC certification for the module, or a delay in the supply chain. However, we feel that either of these does not give enough reason to nuke the module entirely from promotional materials. We speculate that it is likely that the partnership with Bang & Olufsen has hit a rocky patch, although this does not warrant the disappearance in only some regions since that would have a universal effect instead of selective.

Whatever be the reason, we hope that the portfolio of modules for the LG G5 continues to expand instead of going the other way. The success of the LG G5 could pave the way for more and widespread experimentations with modularity.

What are your thoughts on the disappearance of the LG G5’s HiFi Plus module? Let us know in the comments below!

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• iFixit Publishes their Teardown of the LG G5

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